The present invention relates to metal industrial fasteners and particularly to such fasteners which are used to pull together and secure two panels.
Industrial fasteners are commercially available to pull together and releasably lock two panels. For example, the turn member may be recessed in a dish and the two panels may meet in a butt joint. The panels, for example, may be the side and lid of a trunk, portable enclosure, packing case or instrument case. Such fasteners are usually formed from sheet metal and consist of two separated members, each one of which is attached to one of the panels. They may be used to obtain a tight seal by compressing a gasket positioned between the two panels.
One type of industrial fastener is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,853,752 to Ernest Schlueter, assigned to Simmons Fastener Corp. U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,995 to Ernest Schlueter describes a "spring loaded link lock fastener" in which a hasp member is mounted on a spring wire pivot. An eccentric pin 66 is integral with a bolt 60 and engages in a transverse slot 68. The bolt is a solid member. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,727 to Cuyler Hoen and Kiernan Busch, incorporated by reference herein, also assigned to Simmons Fastener, the solid bolt is replaced by a series of disks.
Although such presently available fasteners are satisfactory to fasten many types of containers, there has been a need for a suitable fastener which would operate with a spring-loaded spring-back hook member and may be mounted in a recessed dish in one panel and which would be rugged, operate under adverse environments, and which would not be expensive or complex.